Canadians in Afghanistan
Dear Editor:
Re ” Harper softens his tone on war.” (June 23):
Surely there’s enough confusion among Canadians regarding our involvement in Afghanistan without Harper flip-flopping on the issue. We keep hearing that Canadian troops are in Afghanistan to liberate the people there from tyranny. We also hear that they are there to fight the terrorists before they can strike us at home. Some people-confusing Iraq with Afghanistan- are calling it Bush’s war. The fact is Canada and its NATO allies are in Afghanistan, with the blessing of the U.N., to prevent Al Qaeda or the Taliban from regaining control of the country and, if possible, to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders. The best we can hope for is to establish a stable government that we can work with in containing as many terrorists as possible. Neither Harper, nor anyone else, can put a time limit on such a mission. If we do, the terrorists merely have to sit tight until we leave and then take over. We have to stay until the mission is accomplished. Unlike Iraq, which is in the early stages of an all-out civil war, it’s possible to stabilize Afghanistan provided we are prepared to support a friendly dictatorship and forget about the impossible dream of turning it into a democracy. Those who say that we can’t support the troops without supporting their mission are correct. And that the mission is well worth supporting. No one can seriously believe that Canadian troops are fighting in a far off land for any reason other than to defeat the terrorists who have declared war on everyone who disagrees with their fanatical objectives.
William Bedford
Toronto, Ontario
